Summer Reading 2014
English II Honors
During the summer, you will need to read TWO books from the required reading list and
ONE book of your choice for a total of THREE books. For the required reading, you are expected to
annotate the book and prepare for an in-class writing assignment when classes resume in August. The
independent reading requires you to read a novel of your choice and complete ONE of the projects
listed below.
Required Reading: Choose two books
Fiction
Code Name Verity
The Alchemist
I am the Messenger
Sunrise Over Fallujah
Non-Fiction
A Long Way Gone
Persepolis
Tuesdays With Morrie
INDEPENDENT READING
For the novel of your choice, you will need to complete one of the projects listed below. In
addition, you must be reading a “NEW” book. In other words, you cannot recycle, reread, or
regurgitate a book you have read before. This is a form of plagiarism, or cheating. It is also unethical.
If you do so, you will automatically receive a zero for this project. Don’t do it.
The independent portion of this reading assignment gives you the freedom to choose a favorite
author and/or literary genre. To help you find a great book, below are some links to some great
websites. You are not limited to fiction; you may read non-fiction, sports literature (biographies),
fantasy, etc.
These websites list award-winning books for young adults:
YALSA's Book Awards (direct link) YALSA's iPod/iPad/iPhone App: YALSA's Teen Book Finder YALSA's Book Awards & Booklists (fill in required information to access these Michael L. Printz Award for Young Adult Fiction Alex Award: Adult Fiction for Teen Readers Margaret A. Edwards Award: Lasting Contribution to YA Fiction ALA's Best Fiction for Young Adults (fill in required information to access these lists, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction National Book Award YALSA's Book Lists Project Choices for the Book of Your Choice (Independent Read)
Choose one of the projects to create your own “retelling” of the story. One thing to consider: even
though certain projects may really appeal to you, remember to make sure the project you choose will
work well with the novel you read. Have fun and good luck!
thhero or superhero possesses.
Diary
Choose one main character from the novel you read and create a diary from his/her point of view that
reveals all the major events in his/her life as well as his/her feelings about these events. Include
his/her hopes, dreams, problems, concerns, and frustrations. Fill the diary with entries spread out over
the entire period of time from the beginning of the novel to the end. Begin with "Dear Diary," and
write from the first person point of view (ex: Dear Diary, today I went to see my best friend and
we…). For each entry, if possible, write a date. Place your entries into a cover that you create,
organizing them in the proper order. On the first page, include an information sheet identifying the full
name of the character, his/her age (guess if you don't know), birthday (if known), where he/she lives,
and any other important information about him/her from the novel. Your diary should be a minimum
of 7 pages, double-spaced. In addition, you must have a one page typed explanation explaining the
major theme of the story, a brief explanation of the story’s character that is writing the diary, and what
you believe your character has learned.
.
Scrapbook
Create a scrapbook for one of the main characters that reflects the many events that occur with him or
her in the novel you read. You can include photographs, letters, post cards, telegrams, a family tree,
newspaper article clippings, memorable items, or anything else you can think of to create that you
might find in a scrapbook. If you include objects or photographs, be sure to write captions below
describing what they are or what's going on and their significance to the character in the novel. Create
a nice cover for your scrapbook. On the inside, paste an information sheet identifying the full name of
the character, his/her age (guess if you don't know), birth date (if known), where he/she lives, and any
other important information. Your scrapbook should have a minimum of 10 pages. In addition, you
must have a one page typed explanation explaining the major theme of the story, a brief explanation of
the story’s character that is writing the diary, and what you believe your character has learned.
Novel Soundtrack
Create a CD of at least 5 songs that remind you of this book. A writing assignment must accompany
this choice – at least ONE typed page per song (12 point font), explaining in detail why you chose each
of these songs. Do the songs reflect setting, character, theme(s) from the story? Be sure you are
discussing this in your essay. Your grade will be a reflection of the connections you make.
Category
4
Project
Components
All individual parts of the chosen project
type are included and to their fullest extent.
Effort,
Neatness,
Grammar
It is clear that much effort and time was
spent on making the project representative
of the novel and aesthetically pleasing. There
are no obvious errors or messiness
throughout the project and it is of
appropriate length.
The project itself shows creativity, whether it
be through the pictures in a scrapbook, ideas
in the diary energy. Thought was put into
how to develop the chosen project type.
The project shows a deep understanding of
and analysis of the novel, including its
characters, plot, and themes. It is clear that
the novel was read deeply so that ideas were
developed about the story.
The accompanying explanation is typed and
properly formatted and provides a detailed
overview of the project and its relation to
the theme and character(s).
Creativity
Analysis &
Synthesis of
Chosen Novel
Explanation
3
2
1
Points
Earned